Harness



(No Model.)

- A. CHARLES.

HARNESS; N0. 372,517. Patented NOV. 1, 1887.

N. PETERS. Pholo-Liflmgmpber, Washington, 0. c

UNITE STATES ATENT FFIGEO AUGUST CHARLES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HARNESS.

SPECIPICATIGN forming part of Letters Patent No. 372,517, dated November1, 1887.

Application filed August 19, 1857. Serial No. 247.330.

To aZl whom it may concern..-

Be it known that I, AUGUST CHARLES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Ohicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Harness, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates, particularly, to an improvement in the collarportion of a harness, or to the part known as the horse-collar, whichencircles thehorses neck and commonly constitutes that feature of aharnessinvolving it at which the pull of the load is exerted.

\Vhi'le my improvement relates to a collar, inasmuch as it is intendedto encircle the neck of the animal and serve generally the purpose of acollar to the extent that it affords a suitable place of attachment forother parts of the harness, it does not constitute the feature at whichthe pull of the load is exerted in the same sense as in other collars,but affords pads having stiff outer surfaces and sufficiently broad tocover and conform to the shoulders ofthe animal,upon which the strainofthe load is exerted, in a manner to maintain them in close contactwith the parts they cover of the animal in all of its pulling movements,and thereby affords a flexible device which does not rub, andconsequently chafe, the parts.

Ordinarily the collar portion ofa harness is practically or in a highdegree inflexible, fits around the neck, and extends down only upon theupper parts of the scapulae, where the latter are the weakest. Thetraces are connected directly with the collar, sometimes also with thehame, so that the strain of pulling is exerted mainly from the upperparts of the shoulder-blades and neck, thereby choking the animal, or atat least straining it, owing to the resistance being brought to bearonthe weaker portions ofthe scapulic. Besides, owing to the form and fitof the collar, and also to its degree of inflexibility, the shoulders intheir alternate forward movements have to bear the entire or at least anunequal portion of the strain of the load consecutively, since thecollar, as one shoulder advances, does not bear with equal pressureagainst the other shoulder, but is pulled and moved sidewise withoutremaining in contact with the other shoulder, thereby tending also tochoke and chafe the animal.

(No model.)

It is my object to provide a collar the use of which shall not beattended with any of the foregoing disadvantages by constructing it topresent a large surface, whereby it covers and conforms to bothshoulders and is easy upon the horse while pulling; whereby the draftshall be exerted from the lower parts of the scapulte, where the mainpressure is brought to bear and the greatest strength is exerted andwithout undue pressure upon the upper parts of the scapulze; whereby,owing to its flexibility and general construction, scalding and chafingshall be prevented and choking impossible, and whereby it shall be lightand at the same time ornamental. It may also be stated that as anincident of my improved construction it avoids the necessity ofemploying an extra sweat-collar.

My invention consists in the general construction of my improvement; andit also consists in details of construction and combinations of parts,all as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a partly-broken perspective view of ahorse-collar of my improved construction, and Fig. 2a section taken onthe line 2 2 of Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrows.

A A are plates of somestiff material-such as sheet metal, thin wood, orheavy sole-leather and preferably bent to the shape illustrated, wherebythey conform, at least ap p roxi matel y, to the parts they are intendedto cove'rnamcly, the shoulders of the animal for which the collar isdesigned.

It is not necessary, but only preferred, that the plates A shall conformin the manner described, since they may be straight and the paddingunderneath them, hereinafter .described, shaped to conform to theshoulders.

B is the padding, comprising a suitable soft material or fabric stuffedwith hair, wool, or the like, and covered by the plates A, which aresecured to it. The padding is stuffed in a manner to cause it to conformon its inner surface to the shoulders of the horse, and is intended toextend down upon the animal suffieiently far to cover the shoulders.That part of the padding which extends above the plates A and serves toconnect the plates and portions of the padding covered by them together,to produce the form of a collar, is simply padded material, formingintegral extensions of the padded portions underneath the plates,although the last-named portions and the plates upon them may be twoseparate parts joined together by a strap to extend over the aninialsneck and upon which to impose the hame O; or the hame maybe padded abovethe plates and secured to the latter.

So far as the advantages of my improvement are concerned, it isimmaterial to whichever of the foregoing constructions of collar it is'applied, or whether a hame be provided or not.

The hame G, if provided, as shown, is applied to the collar in a usualmanner.

D is a strap or band having at each extremity means for connecting thetraces to it in the form of a hook, 1', though I do not limitmyself toany particular device for the attachment. The strap or band D isconnected with the plates A, to extend transversely across them neartheir centers and in a manner to permit to it longitudinal play. Theconnection for the purpose may be through the means illustrated,comprising hooks g on the plates to hold flexible loopsp, extending fromthe strap or bandD, though any means which will connect or apply thepart D to the plates in substantially the manner and for the purposedescribed will accomplish the desired resultas, for example, causing itto encircle the collar like a hame, and having the ends for theattachment of the traces crossed at the lower end of the collarto extendacross the plates. If the ordinary breast-strap of the harness is usedas the strap or band D, of course its connection with the harnessmaintains it in position againstthe plates A.

As the collar is divided, as shown, at its lower end, it may readily beplaced in position upon the animal by spreading the lower disconnectedends asunder, when the hame serves to hold it against the sides of theneck, and the plates A and parts B ofthe collar underneath them extendsufficiently low to cover the shoulders; also, the collar beingflexible, when the hame is once adjusted it need never be removed,since, owing to the manner .itis secured upon the flexible collar-by thestrap o-the collar may be expanded to slip over the horses head, and theusual manner practiced of adjusting the common form of horse colla-rnamely, by slipping it over the head in inverted position and thenturning it while on the neck-need not be resorted to.

WVith the traces attached to the opposite ends of the strap D it willreadily'be seen that the load is pulled directly fromthe strap, and thestrain forces the padded plates A equally throughout against theshoulders of the animal, to which they conform, as aforesaid. Owing tothe longitudinal play afforded to the strap or band D by the manner ofits connection to the collar, and to the flexibility of the latter abovethe plates, as the animal steps forward with one leg, the padded portioncovering the shoulder of the other leg is held without rubbing againstit by the strap D, and the last-named shoulder receives its dueproportion of the strain. It is thus manifest that by means of myimprovement the collar proper does not form the medium from which thestrain of pulling is exerted, and therefore the objectionableconsequences hereinbefore enumerated are avoided, and that, while itotherwise serves the general purposes of a collar, it constitutes amedium through which to transmit the strain of pulling to both shoulderssimultaneously without chafing or choking the animal.

While the construction thus described is the preferred one through themedium of which to apply my improvement-via, of producing the strainagainst pads covering theshoulders the necessary stiffness or unyieldingquality of the lower separated ends may be attained without employingextra plates A, by making the pads themselves at their lower endssufficiently stiff and unyielding.

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A horse-collar divided at its lower end,

having the lower separated ends padded and stiffened and conforming tothe shoulders of the animal, over which they extend to or sub stantiallyto the lower ends of the scapulae, and a flexible strap or band forconnection at its opposite ends with the traces and loosely connectedwith the collar to extend across and bear flatwise against the uppersurfaces of the said padded and stiffened ends, substantially as andfor'the purpose set forth.

2. A horse-collar divided at its lower end,

having the lower separated ends padded to I conform to the shoulders ofthe animal, over which they extend to or substantially to the lower endsof the scapulze, and surmounted by stiff plates, and a flexible strap orband for connection at its opposite ends with the traces and looselyconnected with the collar to extend across and bear against the plates,substantially as described.

3. In a horse-collar, the combination of a padded portion, B, stiffplates A, and a flexible strap or band, D, loosely connected with thecollar to extend transversely across the plates, substantially as andfor the purpose set forth. v

4. In a horse-collar, the combination of a padded portion, 13, dividedand conforming toward its lower end to the shoulders of the animal, overwhich it extends, stiff plates A upon the parts which cover theshoulders, and a flexible strap or band, D, connected to the collar byflexible loops p, to extend transversely across the said plates neartheir cen ters, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

AUGUST CHARLES. In presence of t WM. FREUND,

GEORGE O. 0001;.

